CMU Bhangra at Motor City Bhangra 2 and Bhangra at the Bell 2

[shreeps]

Hey BTF,

Here are our videos from MCB a few weeks ago and Bell this past weekend.

Thanks to Harjot for his vids and Divya K. for getting a nice view from the judges' angle at Bell!

Motor City 2 (GTV vid):
CMU Bhangra @ Motor City Bhangra 2014

Bhangra at the Bell 2 (GTV vid):
CMU Bhangra @ Bhangra At The Bell 2014

Bhangra at the Bell 2 (CMU vid of judges' view):
CMU Bhangra in Bhangra at the Bell 2014

- Shreepal

 

[arnab]

loved every minute, you guys really killed it. especially thought it was great that you dedicated some real time/effort in the routine to being graceful....it made it much more dynamic.


i see you shalini!!

 

[venividivici]

Really impressed by your guys energy and stamina.. It was like controlled chaos lol

 

[amancheema]

if you can't speak punjabi, don't do a vaar


it's no offense to you or your valiant efforts... just really takes away from the performance right off the bat

 

[shahrj]

One of my favorite coed teams to watch this year, you guys have gotten better and better since last summer and have that distinctive CMU style that's refreshing to see, especially when a lot of teams nowadays tend to look similar to one another. Ankur - you're becoming such a sick dancer

 

[Sid]

if you can't speak punjabi, don't do a vaar
it's no offense to you or your valiant efforts... just really takes away from the performance right off the bat

Aman - thanks for explaining via PM. We'll take your comments into account and work to improve it in the future. I hope you were still able to appreciate the rest of the performance.

 

[Rushi]

Shoutout to Ankur! And that shorter girl in the yellow is sickk

 

[aneeshsahni]

Killed this set!

Vishalsai+shorter yellow girl were especially sick. Shorter pink guy also owned a lot of nakhra moments when he came up to the front. The choreo and mix go really well together, and this is something that CMU has gotten a really good grasp of in the last couple yrs.

I think the jhummar jodi dip/twirl (partly bc it was in the back) and the cartwheel+jump over stuff took away from the set actually. I know there were some execution issues in the 2nd one, but regardless I think the set would've flowed better without them. Mirza-ish part seemed a bit forced as well (I think it can be slowed down).

 

[DamanSingh]

Vishalsai+shorter yellow girl were especially sick. Shorter pink guy also owned a lot of nakhra moments when he came up to the front. The choreo and mix go really well together, and this is something that CMU has gotten a really good grasp of in the last couple yrs.

I agree, that yellow jodi killed it!!

I really enjoyed this performance, and it was great being able to see it live. Can't wait to see you guys kill it at WBBC.

 

[rnarang]

Really enjoyed your set/performances from the fall, but you guys absolutely killed this. Shoutout to Samir – love your energy!

 

[SGupta7]

Thanks for all the love and the critiques. Would love to see some more critiques on here though haha

 

[nkrishnan]

I gotta say seeing this live I was shocked, you guys somehow topped your fall set. Really thought that this was going to place. Probably my favorite co-ed collegiate routines of the entire year. I don't get how you guys have such ridiculous stamina, yellow jodi especially. Every segment seemed like a new burst of energy. Here's my critique (for Bell)

Jugni hit so much better this time, in the fall the mix was fantastic but choreo just didn't hit for me. New jugni is super powerful. Also love the new freeze gimmick (that whole segment in general is just pretty ridiculous and super creative, good job)

Wasn't a huge fan of the sapp to daang transition, I feel like you guys had a really powerful vibe and energy going which kind of faded between the two.

Also phumaniyaan formations were a bit confusing. Is 3:17 supposed to be a cross? Loved the choreo though

Not a huge fan of the jhoomer song but that's just personal preference. I do think that the dip sort of took away from the whole segment though

For some reason bolo tara has really grown on me, no idea why but it was awesome this time haha

I like the new girls stunt! Looks really hard to pull off, but if it is executed properly i think it would be really cool

End segment was killer, love the energy. If you can think of a creative way to end I think it would leave a more lasting impression

Honestly I'm being nitpicky though, this set was fantastic, I'm so glad I got to see it live. You guys are super duper creative and look like you're having a ton of fun on stage which is all that matters. And it was great chilling with you guys!

 

[Reeeeda]

So, i was able to watch you guys live and to be honest, was fairly surprised when you didn't place. I was blown away by the energy you guys brought. However, although I felt the energy was outstanding, I did appreciate your tdot (i think?) routine a bit more. I couldn't really pinpoint it at the time, but now that I've had the chance to watch your video in a stop-and-go fashion, I think I've figured out why.


I noticed that the majority of your formations are done in clumps/dancers are very close together. There's very few times (especially towards the middle and end of the routine - 4.5 mins on) where I can see all 12 dancers at once. Dancing in clumps is really strong and aesthetically pleasing, but only if done in moderation with choreo that will compliment everyone being so close to one another. For me, I think the fact that your formations were created in such a way where all 12 dancers are clumped close together so often, some dancers even hidden (likely not on purpose), it took away the strength and the overall power that your routines have previously brought - made you guys look smaller. This is all just my humble opinion. Many may disagree with me.


Also, i think this was said above somewhere, but the cartwheels and jhummar gimmick didn't really do it for me. i would rather see you guys (being the great dancers you are) dance the entire way without those distractions. Additionally, I find something very awkward about your mirza footwork (noticed this last year also).


That said, your jugni was fire. Probably my fav segment. I think you guys are so different than other collegiate teams and I respect that - currently one of the best out there. Mitra, you're a great dancer. There's also a dude in yellow (beard) who has great presence.


Hope to see you guys perform live at WBBC and feel that same energy from Bell again!

 

[shaliniray]

loved every minute, you guys really killed it. especially thought it was great that you dedicated some real time/effort in the routine to being graceful....it made it much more dynamic.


i see you shalini!!

Haha thank you Arnab! Much appreciated!

 

[Ankur Toshniwal]

Ankur - you're becoming such a sick dancer

Probably the greatest shoutout I've ever received. Thanks a lot man, thank you Rushi too.

 

[VD]

You guys are so much fun to watch. Great performance. Keep doing exactly what you're doing. Everyone killed it.

 

[gurteg]

Unbelievable! I've always enjoyed watching you guys for the past few years, and each year you're bringing even more energy and new ideas to the stage. Each of your dancers does an incredible job showcasing how much they love their routine and dancing for the crowd. Amazing set and great execution!


Taller pink guy - loved your expressions man. Showed how much you really enjoyed dancing.


Vishalsai - great catching up with you brother! Been a while. Sid - great seeing you again!

 

[Psant]

At any other competition, you guys would have placed. I think this was the co-ed set of the year to be honest and it's refreshing to see a collegiate team that top-to-bottom has amazing dancers - EACH with his or her own unique stage presence. The mix and song choices were absolutely amazing and the execution was even better.

That being said, I could do without the cutesy jhummar twirl in the background. I don't think it really added anything, and it was in the back anyway. Also the yellow jumping over into lehriya was a bit messy, and didn't seem like it was worth the risk. My favorite segment was the Nishana segment - the choreo fit perfectly and the jugni hit HARD. I saw your WBBC video, and I'll be frank - I think you guys were robbed. That set basically was the ideal co-ed set for me - an emphasis on dancing, fun gimmicks that weren't too stop-and-go, and amazing nakhra. Yellow jodi (Vishalsai?) always kills the set - one of the best co-ed dancers I've seen in years.

 

[Anik915]

Lol, tried really hard to format my feedback to work with the BTF table settings, but I can't figure it out (Swi could you help me out bro?).


Here's a link to my performance review: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xGpkq2Z4q9nU_uNaKu9aCFgXls3TAb5rIgHL34gQA2A/edit?usp=sharing


You guys are one of my favorite teams in the circuit. Ever since seeing you guys at Burgh 5, I knew you guys were going to be something special. Was a huge honor competing with you guys at several competitions this year - the whole CMU squad really brought out the best of us. You guys are a fun, kind, funny, hard-working group of individuals that I've really enjoyed getting to know this year. Really feel like I have some long lasting friends on this team. Enjoy the rest of the semester - you guys are going to do great!


Love,
Anik

 

[roohinor]

Favorite co-ed team on the circuit, right now. Through and through you have shown everyone the hard work a team goes through to create a diverse routine that hits hard without the use of "gimmicks" per se (I am not a fan of gimmicks that take away from the "dancing aspect" of the routine overall, and that's just my opinion) and I love seeing you guys execute your set the way you do with the most traditional sense of dancing possible.

Yeah, I'm sure placing announcements sucked, but just know and remember that everyone has seen the videos and know you all did a fantastic job and that's something to be proud of, and Mits we talked about this. Best of luck at blowout, keep up the hard work and continue to do what you do and you'll be great.

ALSO I'm at work so I can't pinpoint to which part exactly, since I can't pull up the vid, but watching the set for the first time, post bell (from the front since I was sidestage at bell) - I got chills, just FYI. So good, perfect blend of grace and power.